Hiking in NZ without a car?

other NZ
Written By Mark Eaglesfield

Is it possible to go hiking in Aotearoa New Zealand without driving or hitchhiking?

This one is actually from Tuscany, not NZ.

Yes, but it’s not easy, outside of a few areas. This page catalogs day-hikes that I’ve done which are near a bus or shuttle stop, a train station, or a wharf visited by ferries/water taxis - these hikes are indicated by text link to one of my blog posts.

I also list some day-hikes that I’ve only heard of - these are indicated by a bare URL. (If the section has no photos, then I haven’t hiked there yet.)

In summary:

  • South Island:

    • For fit and experienced hikers, Arthur’s Pass in Central Canterbury seems like the most convenient place.

    • For everyone else, the Queenstown/Arrowtown area in Otago seems more appropriate.

  • North Island has fewer attractive hikes (i.e. the sorts of hikes for which you would choose to visit NZ from overseas). Unsurprisingly, it has fewer car-free hiking opportunities. But,

    • Wellington and the neighboring Kāpiti Coast have a lot of easy hikes accessible by bus and train.

    • Villages near Tongariro National Park have a number of competing shuttle companies bringing tourists to some of the island’s most impressive tracks.

This page was written in 2023. I don’t check on the transport operators listed below to make sure they are still in business. The region-specific trail notes on the government-run website for the Te Araroa trail are a good place to see recommended transport operators (https://www.teararoa.org.nz/before-you-go/maps-and-notes-download/) near some of these hikes. Jub has also collected a lot of links (https://churnewzealand.com/nz-hiking-shuttles-track-transport/).

North Island

Auckland

Why visit? There are a lot of small volcanoes - see the end of this section.

Access from abroad: Arrive at Auckland Airport.

Access from the south:

Getting around

  • visit small volcanic mounds (sturdy shoes are good, but hiking shoes/boots aren’t necessary)

    • easier to access by bus or train: Mt Eden (Maungawhau) and One Tree Hill (Maungakiekie), both in Central Auckland

    • easier to access by ferry: Mt Victoria (Takarunga) and North Head (Maungauika), both in Devonport, North Shore

    • there are 53 in total - for now (https://nztraveltips.com/auckland-volcanoes/)

National Park village, Tongariro National Park

Why visit? Tongariro National Park is one of the two most famous hiking destinations on North Island. The other is the Mt Taranaki area, Egmont National Park.

Arriving from the north

Arriving from the south

Getting around

Mt Taranaki (Egmont National Park), near New Plymouth in the far western Taranaki Region

Why visit? Along with Tongariro National Park’s hikes, the hikes up and across Mt Taranaki are widely considered the most scenic in North Island. (My priorities are Fantham’s Peak and the challenging Mt Taranaki summit route.)

New Plymouth Airport has domestic flights. From there, there are taxis and Scott’s Airport Shuttle (https://nplairport.co.nz/shuttles/).

Access to New Plymouth from Hamilton and Auckland (to the north)

Access to New Plymouth from Whanganui (to the southeast)

Getting to trailheads from New Plymouth:

Kāpiti Coast, near Wellington

Why visit? There are a lot of short and medium-length hikes on forested hills.

Access to Paraparaumu (from the north):

Access to various Kāpiti Coast towns from Wellington (to the south)

One could do day-trips from Wellington or Porirua (just north of Wellington), or stay in towns on the Kapiti Line which have trailheads.

Wellington, aka Windy Welly

Why visit? Wellington offers a variety of hikes, including

Access from abroad: Arrive at Wellington International Airport. Follow instructions here (https://www.wellingtonairport.co.nz/transport/).

Access from the north

Access from South Island: see ferry below

Getting around

Inter-island ferries from Wellington to Picton

Two ferries depart from different terminals in Wellington for Picton, a town in the Marlborough Sounds of South Island.

As of 2023, Interislander is less reliable than Bluebridge. But both are unreliable compared to any other form of transportation! Some people avoid the risk of ferry problems by just taking short flights from Wellington to Nelson or to Blenheim, and vice versa.

Here is a guide to the ferries from another blogger: https://myqueenstowndiary.com/ferry-to-the-south-island/.

South Island

Picton, Marlborough Sounds

Why visit? There are short hikes accessible on foot from town, as well as the multi-day Queen Charlotte Track, which is accessed by boat.

Arrival by ferry from Wellington: see above.

Arriving from Nelson

Arriving from the south

Nelson, nestled between the Marlborough Sounds and the Tasman District

Why visit? See here and zoom in for a thorough clickable map of routes. Some things I noticed:

Nelson Airport has domestic flights. From there:

Access from Picton and Blenheim (to the east)

Access from St Arnaud (to the south): see below.

Getting around

St Arnaud, Nelson Lakes, Tasman Region

Why visit? St Arnaud is a village on the shore of Lake Rotoiti which offers two proper hikes.

  • The St Arnaud Range Track trailhead is in the village. This hike can be extended much further north than I went.

  • The track for Mt Robert, which is the starting point of the famous Angelus Hut hike along Robert Ridge, is further away but still a plausible walking distance from town, along Mt Robert Rd.

    • The trailhead is probably a particularly good destination for hitchhiking. First, it’s a popular hike. Second, any driver driving toward the trailhead will realize that that’s where every hitchhiker is going, too. (There is no other outlet, so they would have to pull a U-turn to kidnap you.)

Access from Nelson (to the north)

Blenheim, Marlborough wine-country

Why visit? The main non-car attraction in this area is probably bicycling to vineyards for wine tastings. Otherwise, there are the Wither Hills, a pleasant farm park on the southern outskirts of the city.

Marlborough Airport is a domestic airport. Transport from there includes buses (https://www.marlboroughairport.co.nz/transport-details/buses) and shuttles (https://www.marlboroughairport.co.nz/transport-details/taxis-and-shuttles).

Getting to Blenheim from Picton (to the north)

Getting to Blenheim from the south

Getting around

Kaikōura, Canterbury

Why visit?

Access from Picton and Blenheim (to the north)

Access from Christchurch (to the southwest)

Hanmer Springs, northern Canterbury

Why visit? Hanmer Springs is a resort village with a few hikes one can do on foot from town:

Access from Christchurch (to the south):

Lyttelton, Christchurch, Central Canterbury

The port suburb of Lyttelton is the only scenic part of Christchurch proper. I haven’t hiked there, but I enjoyed the view driving over the Port Hills, which separate Lyttelton from the rest of the city. There are various hikes (https://www.bankspeninsulawalks.co.nz/lyttelton-walks/).

Access Christchurch from abroad: Arrive at Christchurch International Airport.

Access Lyttelton from Central Christchurch or the airport (to the northwest):

Diamond Harbour, Banks Peninsula, Central Canterbury

The village of Diamond Harbour is south across Lyttelton Harbour from Lyttelton. From the village, I hiked the peninsula’s highest peak, Mt Herbert (see more options at https://www.bankspeninsulawalks.co.nz/diamond-harbour-walks/).

Accessing Diamond Harbour from Christchurch (to the north)

Akaroa, Banks Peninsula, Christchurch

From the village of Akaroa, I hiked the Stony Bay Peak - Flag Peak circuit. Although lower in elevation than Mt Herbert (above), the terrain is more fun and the views are more dramatic.

Accessing Akaroa from Christchurch:

Castle Hill village, Central Canterbury

Castle Hill holiday village is a dubious place to stay without a car, because there is nowhere to buy food. However, it is a great place for hiking in the Craigieburn Range, e.g. the Mt Cloudsley-Mt Enys traverse.

Access from Christchurch (to the southeast) or Arthur’s Pass and Greymouth (to the northwest)

Arthur's Pass village, Central Canterbury

The village of Arthur’s Pass seems like the best place to stay for people who like challenging day-hikes - drivers and non-drivers alike. These four are all accessible on foot:

General access (https://www.arthurspass.com/index.php?page=6)

Access from Christchurch (to the southeast) or Greymouth (to the northwest)

Lake Tekapo, Mackenzie Basin, Canterbury

If you happen to be taking an InterCity bus from Christchurch to Queenstown (https://www.intercity.co.nz/south-island-buses/bus-christchurch-to-queenstown), or vice versa, then Lake Tekapo is a good place to stop for a night for the great view from the short Mt John hike.

Mt Cook village, Mackenzie Basin, Canterbury

Aoraki (Mt Cook) is the highest mountain in NZ. You can gaze at it from day-hikes accessible on foot from Mt Cook village.

Access from Christchurch (to the northeast)

Access from Queenstown (to the southwest)

Makarora, Queenstown Lakes region, Otago

Mt Shrimpton is accessible on foot from the village (https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/otago/places/mount-aspiring-national-park/things-to-do/tracks/mount-shrimpton-track/).

Access from Wānaka and Queenstown, or from Franz Josef and Haast (in the other direction)

Wānaka, Queenstown Lakes region, Otago

Roy’s Peak, one of NZ’s most famous hikes, is about an hour on foot from town. It is closed during spring lambing.

There is also a much shorter hike, Mt Iron, at the edge of town (https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/otago/places/wanaka-area/things-to-do/mount-iron-track/).

Access from Christchurch and Tekapo (to the north)

Access from Cromwell, Queenstown, and/or Dunedin (to the south)

Getting to trailheads (https://www.lakewanaka.co.nz/things-to-do/walking-and-hiking/track-transport/)

  • It seems that the West Matukituki private shuttle is no longer operational. This is unfortunate, as even people with rental cars may not wish to attempt the road.

Cardrona, Queenstown Lakes region, Otago

Cardrona is a hamlet on the high-altitude Cardrona-Crown Range Rd, which connects Wānaka with the Frankton-Arrowtown area.

Access from Queenstown center, Frankton, and Wānaka

Arrowtown, Queenstown Lakes region, Otago

Arrowtown offers two decent day-hikes, Brow Peak and Crown Peak, as well as a variety of smaller options (https://qeiinationaltrust.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Mahu-Whenua-Walking-Tracks-Arrowtown-Tracks.pdf).

Access from Queenstown center, Queenstown airport, and Frankton

Queenstown and Frankton, Queenstown Lakes region, Otago

From Queenstown center, one can

Access from Christchurch (to the northeast)

Access from Dunedin

From Frankton airport to Queenstown centre, Arthur’s Point, Arrowtown, and Kelvin Heights:

Track transport

Glenorchy, Queenstown Lakes region, Otago

From the village of Glenorchy, one can walk south along the highway to the trailheads for Black Peak/Mt McIntosh and Mt Alaska/Mt Judah/Heather Jock Loop.

Access from Queenstown

The same shuttle company connects Glenorchy with the more remote trailheads for:

Te Anau, Fiordland, Southland

Why visit?

Access from Queenstown (to the northeast):

Access from Invercargill (to the southeast):

Track transport:

  • Kepler Track water taxi (https://www.fiordlandoutdoors.co.nz/transport-and-experiences/kepler-track-transport/)

    • It saves time, but I’m skeptical that there is enough time to take the first outbound boat, hike to the summit of Mt Luxmore and return in time for the last return boat. Thus walking outbound from town may be necessary to take the return boat; or, walking back to town may be necessary after having taken the outbound boat.

Sample itinerary for fit, experienced, obsessive hikers who can’t/won’t drive

This suggested itinerary is 21 nights. I don’t see much point in coming all the way from the Northern Hemisphere to New Zealand for less time than that.

Simple version: If you want to maximize hiking opportunities per location and minimize travel time, then Wellington, Christchurch (to access Arthur’s Pass by train), and Queenstown-Frankton seem like the three best choices, so I recommend taking flights between them. There is at least a week’s worth of hiking in each one.

If you yearn to traverse both islands, then try:

North Island

  • arrive at Auckland Airport

  • 1 nights Auckland. (Rangitoto Island if staying a second night)

  • 4 nights near Tongariro National Park. Tongariro Crossing and Mt Ruapehu. Requires at least one small-group shuttle.

  • 2 nights Wellington. Skyline Walkway or a Kāpiti Coast hike.

take ferry to Picton, or plane to Blenheim

South Island

  • train from Picton or Blenheim to Christchurch

  • 1 night Lyttelton, Christchurch. (a Port Hills hike; or Mt Herbert, Diamond Harbour if staying a second night)

  • train to Arthur’s Pass

  • 4 nights Arthur’s Pass

  • train back to Christchurch

  • bus to Lake Tekapo, bus to Mt Cook (I haven’t checked timetables to see if this can be done the same day as the train)

  • 2 nights Mt Cook (Mueller Hut)

  • bus to Queenstown

  • 7 nights Queenstown-Frankton (Ben Lomond/Bowen Peak, Queenstown Hill; bus to Arthur’s Point for Moonlight Walkway; bus to Jack’s Point, then walk to Kelvin Peninsula and take water taxi back; bus to Arrowtown for Brow Peak, Crown Peak, or the lesser hikes; shuttle to Wānaka for Roy’s Peak (less hectic if staying overnight)

  • return by airplane to Christchurch or Auckland

For 14 nights, skip North Island. Start in Queenstown rather than Christchurch, to build up fitness for the most strenuous hikes (Mueller Hut and various hikes at Arthur’s Pass).

For 7 nights, spend the whole time Queenstown or Arthur’s Pass. Choose between them based on your fitness and whether you really like the look of the Otago Lakes. (Arthur’s Pass has a few tarns but no lakes.)

Municipal bus/train cards

Bus and train route links

Air travel links

I’ve mostly rented cars to go hiking in NZ. But I remember the struggle of car-free hiking from when I lived in Scotland and Japan, so I wanted to share this car-free transport info with anyone who is in that same boat.

Please let me know of any transport operators I have missed, and which aren’t covered on webpages I did include that list several operators. I will only post links to full webpages, not Facebook pages, because I see a website as a proxy for durability, which is a proxy for quality.

Mark Eaglesfield
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